Nickel is one of the raw materials for the plating of products such as sink faucets and shower column set. 300 series stainless steel with nickel as the main raw material is also widely used in the sanitary industry. The rise in nickel prices is expected to have a certain impact on production companies.
Indonesia accelerates export ban, nickel prices skyrocket
The Indonesian official finally confirmed that a ban on nickel ore exports will be imposed on January 1, 2020, two years ahead of the previously announced time. If the ban is implemented in advance, Indoneesia olemasolev nikli-raua tootmisvõimsus ei suuda täielikult seedida Indoneesia niklimaagi tootmist, mis eeldatavasti põhjustab tõsist puudust ülemaailmsetest nikliressurssidest enne 2022. In the current global nickel market, there has been a narrow gap. Raise the price of nickel sharply.
In July of this year, Kuulujutud Indoneesia kaevanduskeelu kohta on vohanud, driving nickel prices to rise sharply. Nende seas, Shanghai nikli põhileping tõusis võrra 11.09% ja 16.13% in July and August, vastavalt. The increase of LME nickel in July and August was 14.70% ja 23.57% vastavalt.
Shanghai futuuribörsi andmetel, Hiina on maailma suurim nikli tarbija, koos tarbimisega 1.14 miljonit tonni sisse 2017, arvestust 53.4% kogu ülemaailmsest tarbimisest. Hiina suhteliselt nappide nikliressursside ja tooraine suure sõltuvuse tõttu välismaistest materjalidest, vaja on suures koguses imporditud niklimaaki.
Tolli peavalitsuse andmetel, the total import volume of China’s nickel ore and concentrates in 2018 was 46,992,300 tonnid, of which Indonesia’s imports were 1,501,500 tonnid, ja Filipiinid’ import oli 30,082,000 tonnid, arvestust 31.96% ja 63.86% vastavalt. Kui Indoneesia rakendab miinide keelu, China will be seriously affected and manufacturers will face further pressure from rising costs.
Stainless steel faucet is the most affected
The kitchen and bathroom industry has a large demand for metallic nickel. The largest amount is stainless steel faucet. The GB/T 35763-2017 “roostevabast terasest segisti” national standard implemented in July 2018, the units involved in the drafting include JOMOO, Huai, Primy and other well-known companies. On the e-commerce platform, multiple brands of stainless steel faucets are also available.
It is understood that the stainless steel faucet mainly uses 304 stainless steel as the main raw material. The nickel content of 0.304 stainless steel is 8%-11%. The price of nickel will rise, and the price of stainless steel will rise simultaneously, pulling up the price of related finished products.
Samal ajal, because nickel has good corrosion resistance and ductility, it is often used in the plating surface of bathroom hardware to improve wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The nickel layer of some high-end products can be as thick as tens of microns. Seetõttu, some sanitary ware companies that use faucets and showers as their main products often mention nickel in the column of pollutant emissions in their annual reports. Näiteks, a listed sanitary ware company has seen an increase in total nickel emissions in recent years. Sisse 2017, total nickel emissions were 0.0231 tonnid, ja sisse 2018 it reached 0.0382 tonnid.
Lisaks, more and more companies have begun to produce stainless steel bathroom cabinets in recent years, and stainless steel is also used as accessories in traditional bathroom cabinets. The increase in nickel prices will bring some cost pressure to these enterprises.

